Attorney Offers Evidence of Anti-Christian Bias at Univ. of Wisconsin
by Jim Brown
October 31, 2006
(AgapePress) - - "Pagans, yes. Christians, no." That's how a constitutional attorney is describing the attitude permeating the public university system in Wisconsin.Just in time for Halloween, a Pagan Student Alliance club has been formed at the University of Wisconsin-Waukesha. The group has already been recognized by the student government. Meanwhile, at the University of Wisconsin-Superior, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship is currently banned from campus because it requires its leaders to be Christians.
David French is director of the Center for Academic Freedom at the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), which is suing UW-Superior on behalf of InterVarsity. French says the idea that Christian student groups do not have constitutional rights but pagan student groups do, is a "ridiculous and laughable double standard."
"All these Christian groups are wanting is legal equality: in this case, to receive the same kind of rights and privileges that apparently the pagan group receives at Wisconsin," says the attorney. "Universities are the marketplace of ideas -- [at least they] are supposed to be the marketplace of ideas -- and anyone who sets foot on a college campus these days can see some things that are really very far out of the mainstream, like this pagan club that exists."
An episode involving another UW campus supports the contention that there is an apparent bias against Christian activities at the school. The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire recently had a policy barring resident assistants from leading Bible studies in their dorm rooms. French apparently sees an anti-Christian bias as well.
"The strange thing ... is it seems as if universities are saying no matter how far outside of the mainstream you're going to go, whether it's a pagan club or it's a 9/11 conspiracy theorist professor, we're not going to go so far as to allow orthodox or traditional Christianity, despite the fact that that's within the mainstream of American thought and American history," he states.
UW-Superior will be called into court to defend its policy at a preliminary injunction hearing the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.
Jim Brown, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
